PSYCHOTHERAPIST-PATIENT SERVICES AGREEMENT
[NORTH CAROLINA]
Welcome to my practice. This document (the Agreement) contains important information about
my professional services and business policies. It also contains summary information about the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a new federal law that provides
new privacy protections and new patient rights with regard to the use and disclosure of your
Protected Health Information (PHI) used for the purpose of treatment, payment, and health care
operations. HIPAA requires that I provide you with a Notice of Privacy Practices (the Notice) for
use and disclosure of PHI for treatment, payment and health care operations. The Notice, which is
attached to this Agreement, explains HIPAA and its application to your personal health
information in greater detail. The law requires that I obtain your signature acknowledging
that I have provided you with this information at the end of this session. Although these
documents are long and sometimes complex, it is very important that you read them carefully
before our next session. We can discuss any questions you have about the procedures at any time.
When you sign this document, it will also represent an agreement between us. You may revoke
this Agreement in writing at any time. That revocation will be binding on me unless I have taken
action in reliance on it; if there are obligations imposed on me by your health insurer in order to
process or substantiate claims made under your policy; or if you have not satisfied any financial
obligations you have incurred.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the
personalities of the psychologist and patient, and the particular problems you are experiencing.
There are many different methods I may use to deal with the problems that you hope to address.
Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your
part. In order for the therapy to be most successful, you will have to work on things we talk about
both during our sessions and at home.
Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant
aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger,
frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown
to have many benefits. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems,
and significant reductions in feelings of distress. But there are no guarantees of what you will
experience.
Our first few sessions will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, I
will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment
plan to follow, if you decide to continue with therapy. You should evaluate this information along
with your own opinions of whether you feel comfortable working with me. Therapy involves a
large commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist
you select. If you have questions about my procedures, we should discuss them whenever they
arise. If your doubts persist, I will be happy to help you set up a meeting with another mental
health professional for a second opinion.
MEETINGS
I normally conduct an evaluation that will last from 2 to 4 sessions. During this time, we can both
decide if I am the best person to provide the services you need in order to meet your treatment
goals. If psychotherapy is begun, I will usually schedule one 50-minute session (one appointment
hour of 50 minutes duration) per week at a time we agree on, although some sessions may be
longer or more frequent. Once an appointment hour is scheduled, you will be expected to pay
for it unless you provide 24 hours [1 day] advance notice of cancellation [unless we both
agree that you were unable to attend due to circumstances beyond your control]. It is
important to note that insurance companies do not provide reimbursement for cancelled
sessions. [If it is possible, I will try to find another time to reschedule the appointment.]
PROFESSIONAL FEES
My hourly fee is $140 for intake, $120 for psychotherapy, and $130 for psychological testing.. In
addition to weekly appointments, I charge this amount for other professional services you may
need, though I will break down the hourly cost if I work for periods of less than one hour. Other
services include report writing, telephone conversations lasting longer than 15 minutes,
consulting with other professionals with your permission, preparation of records or treatment
summaries, and the time spent performing any other service you may request of me. If you
become involved in legal proceedings that require my participation, you will be expected to pay
for all of my professional time, including preparation and transportation costs, even if I am called
to testify by another party. [Because of the difficulty of legal involvement, I charge $250 per hour
for preparation and attendance at any legal proceeding.] I will charge the hourly rate for any
appointments that are missed or cancelled less than 24 hours in advance. There will be a $20.00
fee for any checks returned for non-sufficient funds. I understand that I am responsible for any
fees incurred but disallowed for any reason by my insurance company and for any fees/court
costs incurred in collecting my past due account.
CONTACTING ME
Due to my work schedule, I am often not immediately available by telephone. While I am usually
in my office between 8 AM and 5 PM, I probably will not answer the phone when I am with a
patient. When I am unavailable, my telephone is answered by voice mail or by my secretary who
knows where to reach me. I will make every effort to return your call on the same day you make
it, with the exception of weekends and holidays. If you are difficult to reach, please inform me of
some times when you will be available. [In emergencies, you should have us paged by calling our
beeper at (336) 230-5079.] If you are unable to reach Carolina Psychological Associates staff and
feel that you can’t wait for us to return your call, contact your family physician or the nearest
emergency room or Cone Behavioral Health. If I will be unavailable for an extended time, I will
provide you with the name of a colleague to contact, if necessary.
LIMITS ON CONFIDENTIALITY
The law protects the privacy of all communications between a patient and a psychologist. In most
situations, I can only release information about your treatment to others if you sign a written
Authorization form that meets certain legal requirements imposed by HIPAA. There are other
situations that require only that you provide written, advance consent. Your signature on this
Agreement provides consent for those activities, as follows:
• I may occasionally find it helpful to consult other health and mental health professionals
about a case. During a consultation, I make every effort to avoid revealing the identity of
my patient. The other professionals are also legally bound to keep the information
confidential. If you don’t object, I will not tell you about these consultations unless I feel
that it is important to our work together. I will note all consultations in your Clinical
Record (which is called “PHI” in my Notice of Psychologist’s Policies and Practices to
Protect the Privacy of Your Health Information).
.
• You should be aware that I practice with other mental health professionals and that I
employ administrative staff. In most cases, I need to share protected information with
these individuals for both clinical and administrative purposes, such as emergency
coverage, scheduling, billing and quality assurance. All of the mental health professionals
are bound by the same rules of confidentiality. All staff members have been given
training about protecting your privacy and have agreed not to release any information
outside of the practice without the permission of a professional staff member.
• I also have contracts with [collections agency, cleaning service, legal and accounting
services, etc.]. As required by HIPAA, I have a formal business associate contract with
this/these business(es), in which it/they promise to maintain the confidentiality of this
data except as specifically allowed in the contract or otherwise required by law. If you
wish, I can provide you with the names of these organizations and/or a blank copy of this
contract.
• Disclosures required by health insurers or to collect overdue fees are discussed elsewhere
in this Agreement.
• If I believe that a patient presents an imminent danger to his/her health or safety, I may be
obligated to seek hospitalization for him/her, or to contact family members or others who
can help provide protection.
There are some situations where I am permitted or required to disclose information without either
your consent or Authorization:
• If you are involved in a court proceeding and a request is made for information
concerning the professional services that I provided you, such information is protected by
the psychologist-patient privilege law. I cannot provide any information without your
written authorization, or a court order. If you are involved in or contemplating litigation,
you should consult with your attorney to determine whether a court would be likely to
order me to disclose information.
• If a government agency is requesting the information for health oversight activities, I may
be required to provide it for them.
• If a patient files a complaint or lawsuit against me, I may disclose relevant information
regarding that patient in order to defend myself.
• If a patient files a worker’s compensation claim, and my services are being compensated
through workers compensation benefits, I must, upon appropriate request, provide a copy
of the patient’s record to the patient’s employer or the North Carolina Industrial
Commission.
There are some situations in which I am legally obligated to take actions, which I believe are
necessary to attempt to protect others from harm and I may have to reveal some information
about a patient’s treatment. These situations are unusual in my practice.
• If I have cause to suspect that a child under 18 is abused or neglected, or if I have
reasonable cause to believe that a disabled adult is in need of protective services, the law
requires that I file a report with the County Director of Social Services. Once such a
report is filed, I may be required to provide additional information.
• If I believe that a patient presents an imminent danger to the health and safety of another,
I may be required to disclose information in order to take protective actions, including
initiating hospitalization, warning the potential victim, if identifiable, and/or calling the
police.
In the case of joint custody of a child and a minor is being treated here, the parent with
whom the child does not reside will be informed of the child’s treatment here. Both
parents have a legal right to be informed of their child’s treatment and progress.
If such a situation arises, I will make every effort to fully discuss it with you before taking any
action and I will limit my disclosure to what is necessary.
While this written summary of exceptions to confidentiality should prove helpful in informing
you about potential problems, it is important that we discuss any questions or concerns that you
may have now or in the future. The laws governing confidentiality can be quite complex, and I
am not an attorney. In situations where specific advice is required, formal legal advice may be
needed.
PROFESSIONAL RECORDS
The laws and standards of my profession require that I keep Protected Health Information about
you in your Clinical Record. Except in unusual circumstances that involve danger to yourself
and/or others or the record makes reference to another person (unless such other person is a health
care provider) and I believe that access is reasonably likely to cause substantial harm to such
other person, you may examine and/or receive a copy of your Clinical Record, if you request it in
writing. Because these are professional records, they can be misinterpreted and/or upsetting to
untrained readers. For this reason, I recommend that you initially review them in my presence, or
have them forwarded to another mental health professional so you can discuss the contents. [I am
sometimes willing to conduct this review meeting without charge.] In most circumstances, I am
allowed to charge a copying fee of 35 cents per page (and for certain other expenses). If I refuse
your request for access to your records, you have a right of review, which I will discuss with you
upon request.
PATIENT RIGHTS
HIPAA provides you with several new or expanded rights with regard to your Clinical Records
and disclosures of protected health information. These rights include requesting that I amend your
record; requesting restrictions on what information from your Clinical Records is disclosed to
others; requesting an accounting of most disclosures of protected health information that you
have neither consented to nor authorized; determining the location to which protected information
disclosures are sent; having any complaints you make about my policies and procedures recorded
in your records; and the right to a paper copy of this Agreement, the attached Notice form, and
my privacy policies and procedures. I am happy to discuss any of these rights with you.
MINORS & PARENTS
Children of any age have the right to independently consent to and receive mental health
treatment without parental consent and, in that situation, information about that treatment cannot
be disclosed to anyone without the child’s agreement. While privacy in psychotherapy is very
important, particularly with teenagers, parental involvement is also essential to successful
treatment and this requires that some private information be shared with parents. It is my policy
not to provide treatment to a child under 12 unless he/she agrees that I can share whatever
information I consider necessary with his/her parents. For children 13 and over, I request an
agreement between my patient and his/her parents allowing me to share general information
about the progress of the child’s treatment and his/her attendance at scheduled sessions. I will
also upon request provide parents with a summary of their child’s treatment when it is complete.
Any other communication will require the child’s Authorization, unless I feel that the child is in
danger or is a danger to someone else, in which case, I will notify the parents of my concern.
Before giving parents any information, I will discuss the matter with the child, if possible, and do
my best to handle any objections he/she may have.
BILLING AND PAYMENTS
You will be expected to pay for each session at the time it is held, unless we agree otherwise or
unless you have insurance coverage that requires another arrangement. Payment schedules for
other professional services will be agreed to when they are requested. [In circumstances of
unusual financial hardship, I may be willing to negotiate a fee adjustment or payment installment
plan.]
If your account has not been paid for more than 60 days and arrangements for payment have not
been agreed upon, I have the option of using legal means to secure the payment. This may
involve hiring a collection agency or going through small claims court which will require me to
disclose otherwise confidential information. In most collection situations, the only information I
release regarding a patient’s treatment is his/her name, the nature of services provided, and the
amount due. [If such legal action is necessary, its costs will be included in the claim.]
INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT
In order for us to set realistic treatment goals and priorities, it is important to evaluate what
resources you have available to pay for your treatment. If you have a health insurance policy, it
will usually provide some coverage for mental health treatment. I will fill out forms and provide
you with whatever assistance I can in helping you receive the benefits to which you are entitled;
however, you (not your insurance company) are responsible for full payment of my fees. It is very
important that you find out exactly what mental health services your insurance policy covers.
You should carefully read the section in your insurance coverage booklet that describes mental
health services. If you have questions about the coverage, call your plan administrator. Of course,
I will provide you with whatever information I can based on my experience and will be happy to
help you in understanding the information you receive from your insurance company. If it is
necessary to clear confusion, I will be willing to call the company on your behalf.
Due to the rising costs of health care, insurance benefits have increasingly become more complex.
It is sometimes difficult to determine exactly how much mental health coverage is available.
“Managed Health Care” plans such as HMOs and PPOs often require authorization before they
provide reimbursement for mental health services. These plans are often limited to short-term
treatment approaches designed to work out specific problems that interfere with a person’s usual
level of functioning. It may be necessary to seek approval for more therapy after a certain number
of sessions. While much can be accomplished in short-term therapy, some patients feel that they
need more services after insurance benefits end. [Some managed-care plans will not allow me to
provide services to you once your benefits end. If this is the case, I will do my best to find another
provider who will help you continue your psychotherapy.]
You should also be aware that your contract with your health insurance company requires that I
provide it with information relevant to the services that I provide to you. I am required to provide
a clinical diagnosis. Sometimes I am required to provide additional clinical information such as
treatment plans or summaries, or copies of your entire Clinical Record. In such situations, I will
make every effort to release only the minimum information about you that is necessary for the
purpose requested. This information will become part of the insurance company files and will
probably be stored in a computer. Though all insurance companies claim to keep such
information confidential, I have no control over what they do with it once it is in their hands. In
some cases, they may share the information with a national medical information databank. I will
provide you with a copy of any report I submit, if you request it. By signing this Agreement, you
agree that I can provide requested information to your carrier.
Once we have all of the information about your insurance coverage, we will discuss what we can
expect to accomplish with the benefits that are available and what will happen if they run out
before you feel ready to end your sessions. It is important to remember that you always have the
right to pay for my services yourself to avoid the problems described above [unless prohibited by
contract].
YOUR SIGNATURE BELOW INDICATES THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT
AND AGREE TO ITS TERMS AND ALSO SERVES AS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT
YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE HIPAA NOTICE FORM DESCRIBED ABOVE. [If Agreement
is sought before treatment or evaluation begins]
Rev 08/07